More than 240 worshipers attended the grand re-opening of the Los Angeles Central Japanese-American Adventist Church (LACJ) last fall in a worship service chaired by Associate Pastor Nozomu Obara.

Senior Pastor Noriomi Sakuma welcomed the congregation to a new, temporary location at the Hope Christian Fellowship in San Gabriel, Calif. The service featured a message by SCC President Larry Caviness, who challenged members to allow the Holy Spirit to work within the church and its members to spread the gospel to their local community and beyond.

After seven years of worshiping with the Hacienda Heights church, LACJ members recommitted to a focus on the evangelism of and ministry to those best reached by a congregation influenced by Japanese culture. Church services and ministries will be conducted in Japanese and English.

Dr. Kwang Rim Chough, the Asian/Pacific Region director, also challenged congregants to share the gospel with the Japanese and others in the Los Angeles area. Tim Iwahashi, a retired pastor of two of the SCC Japanese churches, provided a historical context to the observance.

Head elder Reijin Fujita read messages from the Japan Union Conference, Japanese ministries and churches from Mountain View to Tokyo. Special music was provided by the Gardena Japanese Church Bell Choir, PB & Jam (Praise Buddies in Japanese-American Ministry, a young girls’ vocal group) and Sean Palmer.

Danny Tomita and the young adults created a particularly poignant three-piece photographic poster collage of people and events depicting the nearly 60-year sojourn of the historic Japanese church, from the 1940s to its time at the Hacienda Heights church. On the right side of the collage was the figure of Jesus as shown in the famous stained-glass windows of the old Japanese Central church campus, blending into photos of events and people.

In the afternoon, the congregation met at San Gabriel Academy for a potluck that many described as the “mother of all potlucks.” The meal featured traditional Japanese foods such as sushi and sukiyaki and a large international mix of other dishes, from lasagna to enchiladas, chow mein to hummus. Linda Caviness cut the ceremonial cake commemorating the church’s re-establishment.

Toru Nakamura, a former LACJ pastor, followed with a spirit-filled message culminating in a baptismal service. Obara officiated, using a temporary pool that had been built by Terry Snyder for a luau scheduled at the academy. After supper, members played volleyball and other games.

But by the end of December 2005, LACJ needed to find another meeting place. Because HOPE Christian Fellowship needs to use their facility on Saturdays, it was agreed from the beginning that the rental would only be a temporary arrangement. The sojourn of the re-established Los Angeles Central Japanese Church has only just begun.

For the current LACJ location, visit scc.adventist.org; click on Churches and type in the church name.